Naomi Osaka marvels at 19-year-old American singer's range after his work in 'Arcane', 'Invincible' makes emotional mark on Japanese

Naomi Osaka has shared her reaction to the soundtrack of the second season of the animated series 'Arcane: League of Legends." She was highly impressed with the work of it's singer and songwriter, d4vd.

After a maternity break in 2023, the 4-time Grand Slam champion was back on court this season. Her best results were reaching the quarterfinals of the 2024 Qatar Open and Libema Open.

She was last seen on-court at the China Open where she retired from her Round of 16 match against Coco Gauff due to an injury. She has since recovered and is currently training for the upcoming 2025 season.

Arcane: League of Legends debuted in 2021 and recently released it's second season after a 3-year gap. Osaka took to Instagram to post an audio clip of the series' melancholic soundtrack. She appreciated the range of 19-yr-old, d4vd, who had earlier composed a more upbeat track, 'Feel it,' for the animated series 'Invincible'.

"Making the happiest song in Invincible and the saddest song in Arcane is diabolical work," she wrote.

Screengrab from Naomi Osaka's Instagram

Osaka is an ardent fan of anime and manga. The Japanese-American was the inspiration behind the manga character 'Unrivaled Naomi Tenkaichi,' which was launched in 2020. In 2023, she partnered with Meta to launch her anime-loving AI chatbot character 'Tamika'.

The former World No. 1's love for the genre also extends to her fashion choices. In 2022, she launched a collection with Levis, highlighting manga as one of the inspirations.

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Naomi Osaka's announced adult anime series "Allure: An evening primrose" with her production company Hana Kuma

Naomi Osaka at the 2024 China Open (Image: Getty)

Naomi Osaka partnered with Rebel Maverick through her production company, Hana Kuma, to develop the anime series 'Allure: An evening primrose.'

The series will take Noir Caesar Entertainment’s manga of the same name, originally written by Sinitus Tempo, and turn it into a TV series. It will be adapted by Kenny Byerly of the Big Hero 6: The Series fame.

The plot revolves around Akane Koizumi, a trained assasin for the Adachi crime family. The family crosses swords with super-killers known as “Death Bringers,” who gain their abilities through the fictional drug - Allure. Osaka will be lending her voice to the central character of Kuizumi.

Other ventures by Osaka's production company Hana Kuma include 'Footsteps,' a short film that chronicles a Haitian woman's journey to their national soccer team and 'Mink,' which is based on the life of Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first black woman to be elected to the US Congress.